


Chasing after You

by fauvistfly



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 08:25:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8971729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fauvistfly/pseuds/fauvistfly
Summary: All his life, Derek has been trying to catch up with Stiles. Even when they were young and played tag in the forest edging his backyard, Derek was always a step behind. Stiles was fast and clever, and whenever Derek felt he was just about to tag him, Stiles would maneuver just out of his grasp with a laugh and a smile. They're older now, and the game is different but the feeling remains: the way Derek’s chest wants to burst with the effects of chasing after him, the way his eyes immediately search the area for any glimpse of Stiles, the echoes of his bright laughter tickling his ears.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HotaruYuki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HotaruYuki/gifts).



> For the secret sterek exchange. My giftee was pretty open-ended with the prompt, so I decided to go with some good ol' mutual pining teenagers. Hope you like it!

All his life, Derek has been trying to catch up with Stiles. Even when they were young and played tag in the forest edging his backyard, Derek was always a step behind. Stiles was fast and clever, and whenever Derek felt he was just about to tag him, Stiles would maneuver just out of his grasp with a laugh and a smile. 

They're older now, and the game is different but the feeling remains: the way Derek’s chest wants to burst with the effects of chasing after him, the way his eyes immediately search the area for any glimpse of Stiles, the echoes of his bright laughter tickling his ears. 

Derek thinks about this now as he waits for Stiles to come pick him up. Stiles has been in Italy since January, doing a semester abroad for the second half of his freshman year. Derek has never gone that long without seeing Stiles in person, and even the promised Skype sessions never really happened--there was the time zone differences, the various schedule conflicts, the need for sleep. Derek has been trying not to think about it, about how he hasn’t actually seen Stiles’ face in over five months. He tells himself that Stiles did call him the moment he got back into the States and that they’re going to see each other now, but it’s hard. 

Stiles has been in Italy, surrounded by beautiful people and sunshine and food and thrilling European experiences. Derek has been studying for AP tests, playing baseball, and doing his best to live life and not merely wait for Stiles to come back. Though most of his free time has been spent running and lifting weights, he did go on a date or two. Unsurprisingly, nothing really went anywhere. He ended up preferring exercising to spending awkward moments with girls and the one boy who were interested in him for some odd reason. The mindlessness of exercise has been comforting, and Erica keeps telling him he’s been looking good, growing into his teeth (he just loves those backhanded compliments of hers). He still remembers when Stiles made some offhand comment about the beauty of six-pack abs, and sometimes he thinks his abs might even be getting there. Of course, Derek still loves pizza a lot--possibly more than is healthy--but he’s been trying.

“Derek, honey? Stiles is here!” 

Derek hears his mom’s voice through the closed door of his bathroom where he’s been trying to calm down and also make his hair lay flat. Neither has been working, and he’s been on the phone with Erica--who has been both supremely unhelpful and yet steadying at the same time. Erica says he’s dumb to stress about hanging out with Stiles because pining is a thing that is happening on both sides, but Erica also only hears Derek’s side of things. Erica hears about their interactions and conversations through Derek’s lens of hope; even when that lens is smudged with insecurity and doubt, it’s still made up of hope. 

Derek looks in the mirror one last time, breathes in deeply, and goes downstairs. He does his best to look casual--he’s in his regular jeans and a henley, nothing special--but it takes everything in him to say, “Hey” without gaping at Stiles.

Stiles, who has gotten even broader and yet more wiry in his shoulder and forearms.

Stiles, who is tan and is practically glowing in a plain white button-down shirt.

Stiles, whose forearms look muscular and capable and delectable peeking out of rolled-up sleeves.

Stiles, who is both so familiar and yet so different from when they last saw each other.

Luckily, Derek doesn’t have to suppress the smile at seeing his best friend, so he tries to stick with that and ignore the loud pounding in his head and heart. When he steps into Stiles’ arms and buries himself in Stiles’ neck, the familiar scent of his very faint cologne and citrus gum that he likes, Derek feels something settle inside of him. That might sound cheesy, but there is definitely something in his chest that loosens in the comforting embrace of his best friend.

“Dude, you have gotten huge! You might crush me with these arms of yours!” Stiles says with a laugh, pulling away to smile at Derek. “Can’t believe it’s only been a few months! Feels like it’s been ages.”

Derek tries not to blush (and not give the exact number of days). “Yeah, it’s been a while. You’re tan! Never thought I’d see that ever happen.” Derek lets his eyes drink in Stiles’ appearance under the pretense of looking at how tan he is.

“Yup, that Italian sun will do wonders. You ready to go?” Stiles pats his arm once and then jokingly pretends his hand is hurt. He turns to Derek’s mom and says, “Good seeing you again, Mrs. Hale. Hope you don’t need him back too soon. It’s been ages!” 

Derek’s mom just grins and gives him another big hug. “No worries. I know he’s in good hands. Derek, if you end up spending the night at Stiles’, just text me, okay?” She gives Derek a kiss and squeezes his ear knowingly, which tells Derek that he’s blushing. 

“Okay, Mom. Thanks. Love you,” he says, still trying to sound casual so as not to draw attention to his burning ears. He heads out the door quickly, hoping Stiles will follow without question.

They head towards the diner, ready to pig out on milkshakes, fries, and burgers. Though Derek is comforted by the steady stream of Stiles’ stories about his time in Italy, he also can’t help but wonder if their friendship will always be like this: Stiles, completely as ease and enjoying bro time with his best bud, and Derek, trying not to stare at Stiles’ long fingers or the lean line of his neck or the flat stomach beneath his slim shirt.

“You okay, dude? You’re even quieter than usual,” Stiles says as he holds the door open for Derek.

“Just tired. Had to do an extra workout in preparation for coming here,” Derek says jokingly, hoping Stiles will buy his excuse.

“Was my best friend spot filled by a personal trainer while I was gone?” Stiles asks with a grin. “And does this mean you have a six-pack?” Stiles pats Derek’s stomach and starts to pull up his shirt.

Derek swats his hand away before he can think, not wanting to find out how long it will take for his pants to get uncomfortably tight when confronted with Stiles’ hands. “Nah, I love pizza too much.”

“Yeah, right. I bet you jog shirtless now, show off your bod. Is that your newest problem? That all the girls only want you for your bod?” Stiles winks jokingly.

Derek shakes his head, pretending to look over the menu as if he’s not going to order the same thing. “The girls at least want to get to know me a little. The guys who’ve hit on me don’t even pretend it’s beyond physical, at least in the beginning.”

“Do you scare them away with your straightness? Let them down gently with a fist bump and chin nod?”

Derek furrows his brow. “No, actually, I went out with one but it just didn’t work out. Also, that was a little offensive.” Derek studies his menu, surprised at how upset he feels about Stiles’ words.

“Wait, what? When did you start dating boys? How much did I miss when I was in Italy?”

Derek glances at him for a second, a tiny judgmental second, before returning his eyes to the menu. “I told you when we were Skyping that one time. You didn’t have much of a reaction, but I just thought it was because it wasn’t a surprise.” Derek thinks back to that conversation, the last one they had right after Stiles had left for Italy. It was basically the only time they’d been able to schedule a Skype during Stiles’ time abroad, and Derek had just been asked out by a guy. He’d said no, but he’d considered it. He knew, obviously, that he wasn’t completely straight based on his attraction to Stiles, but this was the first time he’d been approached by a guy. It seemed like an easy way to share both the experience and his preferences with Stiles, and the screen made it a little less daunting to talk about.

“No, I don’t remember that at all. Believe me, I would’ve remembered,” Stiles says in a quiet voice.

Derek doesn’t know what to make of his response. “I didn’t--I’m not just--” Derek tries to find the words, but he feels a little betrayed by Stiles’ reaction, as if Derek is just blindly copying the popular kids and not actually dealing with his sexual identity. “Just because you came out as bi first…” he says as he trails off, attempting to sound joking but not quite managing it. Coming out as bi is just one of the many things Derek has been trailing Stiles in, and he bitterly begins to list them in his head. One: Stiles skipped a grade, so he went off to college first. Two: Stiles always had a core group of friends. He drew people to him, his laughter, his cleverness, his presence--people wanted to be his friend. Derek was just always happy to be included, though he felt he’d been grandfathered in. Three: Stiles lost his virginity first. (Derek didn’t want details but also wanted to know everything. Later, when Derek lost his virginity, he wondered if part of him just wanted Stiles to ask. He didn’t). Four: Stiles grew into himself, his hair and hands and shoulders and laugh. Derek still feels awkward and skinny and big-eared, even though Erica assures him that’s not the case. The list continues on in Derek’s mind.

“Anyway,” Derek says, wanting to shake himself out of this mood and stop second-guessing himself. He’s looking for something to change the subject, grasping for conversation starters, but he’s saved by their waitress arriving. Food is easy enough; this is Stiles’ first trip to the diner after being away, so once the food finally arrives (and after some pornographic moans for curly fries and embarrassing slurps of milkshakes) Stiles begins describing his favorite food memories from Italy.

They’re able to re-establish their camaraderie for a little bit, but Derek can’t help but shake that awkward moment from before. Does Stiles really think Derek just follows whatever he does? It’s not that he’s insecure about their friendship--he knows their bond is real. It’s just...does Stiles see Derek as a little brother? And himself as a mentor, looking to share his experienced ways? The thought bothers him, not just because of his feelings but because he is his own person. Despite trailing after Stiles, he has never felt they were particularly similar. He hates to think that Stiles might believe Derek is thoughtlessly following in his footsteps. When Stiles suggests heading out to the preserve after dinner, Derek agrees. They’ve always had good conversations at the preserve, and the night is particularly clear tonight. Maybe Derek can get rid of this pinching feeling.

Stiles has a blanket in his Jeep, so they end up lying down, looking up at the stars. Derek breathes in the night air, the familiar smell of sugar and french fries grease on Stiles, and feels himself unclench a little. Stiles keeps getting closer and closer, saying it’s chilly, but Derek is so warm. Being with Stiles again, having him so close, Derek just decides to take anything he can get. He can’t help blushing when he feels the warmth of Stiles’ body press against his side, but he hopes Stiles just thinks it’s the brisk night breeze.

They’re just talking quietly, sharing some memories from the past year--Derek tells him about his baseball season, his embarrassing moments with his family, his slightly awkward date with Jordan. 

“He was attractive, and I was flattered that he asked. I was glad for the experience, going on a date with a boy, but there just wasn’t enough there for me. I don’t really know him, and I guess that’s why people date, but I wasn’t interested in continuing. I want a connection with someone. I want that zing.” Derek’s voice gets really quiet at the end, and he wonders what it would be like to have this moment with someone actually interested in him. The atmosphere is romantic--the sky, the crickets chirping, the blanket in the grass...all the elements are there. If only Stiles returned his feelings, this could be a perfect memory. He breathes in shakily. 

Stiles suddenly rolls on top of Derek and looks at him, almost like he’s about to kiss him. The small smile that was on his face slowly fades away when he notices Derek’s look of shock and paralysis. Stiles slides off and starts to apologize. “I...I’m sorry. I--I thought we were having a moment, that you were getting ready to make a move, and I thought I would help you out. I thought it was mutual, the way I felt, and I hadn’t seen you in so long that I think I just started seeing everything the way I wanted to. I promise I won’t make things weird.” Stiles turns away and starts making motions to stand up.

Derek finally shakes himself and then pulls Stiles back and rolls on top of him. “No, make things weird. I mean, yes. I do. Mutual.”

“Yeah?” Stiles asks, the shocked look slowly replaced by a shy smile on his face, a face that’s moving slowly towards Derek’s.

“Wait,” Derek says, leaning back a little. “This isn’t just because I said I was bi, right? This isn’t some kind of twisted Pygmalion story for you?”

Stiles laughs so hard that Derek rolls off to the side. Stiles doesn’t let Derek get too far, rolling right back on top of him. “Derek, I’ve never felt I’ve been in any position at all to teach you anything. What do I know? Nothing. Nothing at all, except…” Stiles leans in and kisses Derek, slowly and sweetly.

“I think I might know a little about that, too,” Derek says, blushing. He goes in for another kiss, this one a little longer, a little wetter, a little more intense.

Stiles takes his fingers and lightly caresses Derek’s cheek, his eyebrows, the hair at the base of his neck. “You know, the whole bi thing--I honestly didn’t know. There was a moment when you were talking and the sound cut off--but I just liked watching your face and then was so embarrassed about being caught up that I kind of forgot to go back and ask. I’m so sorry.” He kisses him softly. “I know it was a big deal to you. When you told me earlier, I seriously thought I was either dreaming or projecting.” Stiles kisses him again.

Derek pulls him closer, and the kisses begin getting deeper, more full-bodied, and soon Derek is breathing heavily, trying to have every part of his body touch some part of Stiles. “This is a pretty damn good dream,” he says as he feels Stiles bite his ear and plant kisses down his neck.

Stiles reaches and pulls Derek’s hands above his head, using the shift in position to press down against Derek, their bodies hot and tense as they grind against each other. “The best,” he says, panting into every kiss.

They kiss and kiss, grinding slowly, whispering to each other, lost in each other’s presence--so much that they miss the patrol car driving up. And then they hear Sheriff Stilinski’s voice over the patrol car’s PA system. “Step away from Derek, and keep your hands where I can see them.” The sternness in his voice is ruined by the muffled laughter that follows.

“Fuck, this isn’t a dream. It’s my nightmare,” Stiles groans, burying his face into Derek’s neck. 

Derek doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he does his best to will away his erection. “Stiles, you’re going to have to get off me if I ever want to be able to look at your dad in the eye again.”

The two carefully pull apart, righting their clothes and wiping their mouths. Eventually they stand up and head to the patrol car, its blinding red and blue lights silently spinning.

The sheriff’s face is red with the exertion of suppressing his laughter. “Sorry, son, I have been waiting to use that on you. Couldn’t have asked for a better person to embarrass with him, Derek,” he says as he slaps Derek on the back affectionately. “Now Derek, I’ll drop you off. Stiles, I’ll see you back home.”

Derek nods to Stiles and gets into the patrol car before anything more embarrassing happens. He see Stiles pull his dad over and say something in a harsh whisper, but the sheriff never loses the bright grin on his face. In the end, Stiles heads to his Jeep even as he glares at his father.

The car ride isn’t as excruciatingly uncomfortable as he thinks it’ll be. The sheriff just rambles a little about how nice it is to have Stiles back in California, that they’re finally in the same time zone again. Right as they’re pulling up the Hale’s long driveway, the sheriff turns to him and says, “You know, he’s liked you for a long time. I know he may pretend to be cool, but it’s been there for a while. And I’m pretty sure it’s been the same for you. Don’t be afraid to show it.”

Derek nods silently, not sure he can trust himself to speak, since he’s pursing his lips together in an attempt to suppress the happiness that’s trying to burst into a smile. The last vestiges of doubt that have been circling around his heart finally dissipate.

When he finally gets home, he pulls out his phone and sees Stiles has texted him 27 times. He reads through them with a smile and then calls Stiles.

“Oh my god, what did he say? Did he threaten you? You know he’s kidding. He loves you. He probably loves you more than he loves me, the traitor. Don’t let him scare you!”

Derek grins sappily at the sound of Stiles’ voice. “No, he didn’t say anything like that. And I’m pretty sure he loves you the most, since he’s so happy you’re back.” Then Derek adds shyly, “Although I think I’m a close second with that.”

“Yeah? You missed me?” Stiles asks, his voice confident the way it always is.

Derek considers playing the coy game, teasing and flirty, but he remembers the sheriff’s words. “Yeah. I missed you. I missed you a lot.”

Slight pause. “Me, too. God, I missed you so much. And I couldn’t even tell you how much because we hadn’t even talked about it before I left,” Stiles says, his voice earnest in a way Derek has never heard before. “Like, I really wanted to, but it was your senior year, and I was going to be out of the fucking country for a few months. I didn’t want you to feel like you had to wait around for me.”

“I would’ve. I basically did anyway,” Derek says in a way that’s even more honest to himself than he’s been willing to admit in Stiles’ absence.

“Yeah, you did. You’re adorable. I need to kiss your face right now, but you’re so far away!”

Despite their mushy conversation, Derek can’t help but roll his eyes a little. “Not that far. But I think your dad will have a fit if you’re not there when he gets home.”

“Yeah, I know. I guess I’ll just have to save up all the kisses till I see you tomorrow. And I cannot believe i just said that. Jesus, what have you done to me?” Stiles’ voice gets muffled as if he’s hiding his face in his pillow.

Derek just laughs before quietly. After a moment, Derek says, “Stiles? I’m glad you’re back. And I’m glad I finally caught up to you.”

“You were never behind me in the first place, Derek. Always next to me. Now hang up the goddamn phone before I embarrass myself further.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Derek says with a smile. His heart beats rapidly, the way it would after a rigorous game of tag, but the chase is finally over--and they’ve both won.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Come chat with me here or at [tumblr!](http://fauvistfly.tumblr.com)


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